Chapter 28: Bottle Of Liqour
It took a lot of cajoling and a handful of sausages, but Nick eventually managed to clean the panther's wounds and disinfect them without losing any fingers. It came close a couple of times, including when he accidentally dripped some alcohol into the panther's open and highly sensitive eye. Nick had to bribe it with two sausages before he was let close again.
When he was done, the bowl of water had turned red, and his hand towels were no different. But the panther's wounds were clean. The lighter scrapes had started scabbing. He was worried about a few of the bumps, but there was nothing he could do beyond this point.
If the panther survived, it survived. If it died, Nick would be a little sad. But it was the cycle of life.
He went inside with the things he used to clean the panther, unsure what to do about it now. He couldn't exactly take it in or put a band-aid on its injuries. But the problem solved itself. When he went back outside, the panther was gone.
Nick's eyes widened. He hadn't even noticed when it got the energy to move back.
'It's a monster king famous for its stealth for a reason, I guess.' Nick shrugged and went inside again. He needed to calm down after the stressful day he had just gone through.
***
At around the same time, on the outskirts of Tiabe Forest,
"Captain, are you sure about this?" Lily asked, nervously glancing around as her untrustworthy captain led her deeper into the forest.
"Why wouldn't I be?" He pushed aside a branch and held onto it long enough for it to smack Lily in the face.
She crunched her nose and glared at Captain Squawks' sturdy back.